‘Mushrooming’ Soviet threat alarms N.A.T.O.

Press, 26 April 1979, Page 8

‘Mushrooming’ Soviet threat alarms N.A.T.O.

NZPA-Reuter Homestead Air Force Base (Florida) North Atlantic Treaty Organisation nuclear! planners generally agree that both new ballistic missiles and Cruise missiles may be needed to counter what they see as a j mushrooming Soviet nuclear threat to Western Europe. This consensus favouring i what military technicians - call a mix of nuclear! weapons emerged during the first day Of a N.A.T.O. nuclear planning session, according to sources at the: conference. These sources said the! N.A.T.O. Defence Ministers accepted the rationale for: modernising the alliance’s; nuclear weapons, especially! in view of the continuing) deployment of Soviet mobile: SS2O missiles and Backfire I bombers. The Ministers also took! note of intelligence reports l

indicating that troops tn East Germany now have a > new Soviet short-range I nuclear battlefield missile known as the SS2I. President Jimmy Carter’s press spokesman. Jodt Powell, said on Tuesday that the SS2I could force Mr Carter to consider going ■ ahead with production of a neutron bomb which would rely ctn increased radiation for a devastating effect on Soviet invaders. Asked if the bomb [remained an option for the President. Mr Powell said: I “You’re damn right it is.” Sources at the meeting . attended by Ministers of the! United States, Britain, Italy. [West Germany, the 'Netherlands, and Norway J said the Ministers generally [accepted the idea that from [a military standpoint! -N.A.T.O.’s nuclear forces' [required a variety of ''modernising measures. I They said the most i 'obvious candidate as the [next N.A.T.O. weapon would) 'be an extended-range'

i version of the Pershing battlefield missile which ■ could be produced more ■ quickly than a completely new medium-range ballistic missile being studied bx the United States Air Force! Conference sources said there appeared to be a ; general feeling that N.A.T.O. needed to move promptly to I upgrade its ha:tiefield nuclear forces. In Paris, the authoritauve “Le Monde” newspaper ha« i, said that Russia has set up 800 small commando units to raid deep inside Western Europe if war breaks out. “Le Monde” said the : I French General Staff ■recently received ■ information that each unit ' had 25 to 50 professional ■ soldiers. They could even go '[into action just before a war ito disorganise Western rear areas and mobilisation plans, it said. Western nations are known to have units trained HtO strike at Soviet rear I [zones in the event of II hostilities.